THE STORY OF THE JUBILEE SINGERS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2512, 31 January 1887, Page 2

THE STORY OF THE JUBILEE SINGERS.

The Je-;;|is!f..to( Singers,' theiT.^rJf]ian'd : dft results,' ai tp]d by voliime recently publisMty? | i ; ifaJp.;,ir interest the most-absorbing nSmiW with this notabje difference, that 'ity reader lays down the 1)?$ noj fljftt|i

sanse'og gratified amusement, fiat.with ~ HBI a feeling of deep sympathy, amazement,:■ ■' HH and admiration at' 'tho; ' -^SS results, and magic power of song. . : HH The original band was a company of -HHH . emancipated slaves, who, in'.'lß7l, set jfliffl out with a 'determination to raiea by HHH their' singing 20,000 ,dollsis : for tlio WR .school they .were students, To : HH persons in/;Sydnayi?ith. the fine, public. >. '' H^H ■ schools, in which the xhildreii'receive HH - tlia state'p&thasla^e^--, _' ,jHH ;, : jh )a^ : . iHH • '-m^f^tsf'■■■•': :'|MH ,; debarred fro'ifracqhifinfr iffr:/ Ajatij&y § WpB \ deafnfo' to^w^^MlHg '■ immense^ [; :'.■ ; n'cquit-e •elemoatarV , Severest ?! \ ,S{afea|?w&^o^Bp|i^|ft'om, : sohobl : #-' A HH .fcv-the ; ■:' HH

tion,!?. ■ r HH •been esUMished;. ,go. is tbe Yi'. ;HH ae^nt^ibtt : wor^thi|'; JHH establishment of the --Kisk; Jnbile«.| IjHH Uniyflraity-foi: freed'rabplfr■■and -the ■' *|fflfl progrwa of the institutieh; iii ; the 20 yeareitbaß bfien established, thiti 'HUB it bb glad to 9HJ know'that a qo: (»le ql thPjfjibU«a. BB fa?tih4t at'NtshTill« ( , HH f ,in' Bla?«;'pe& : o! the ejty, % HH : iiile of TUfcfcyhandsulfsifidfetriwcsine BjjH • 'into.'.the; : possession of ;toV. school. HH ■authorities,' and wen sold aj : old .irop,. HH ihe money being spent in Tdstuwnta HH "and spelling 'books. *" "' ' During... their first year ■ indignities Mi «nd• insults were frequent; at soras HHH hotels they were refused admission H ' because of their color; at others they HH were compelled .to take their meals in HH , secret; their first concerts barely paid HH i expenses, and many a - time they had HH ito sing with a fear that their lodgings HH i and travelling money would-not be HH paid from the proceeds of their work. Warn ,'■ The Rev. Henry Ward Bencher on jj^fl .'their arrival at New York took up HH their cause, •■ and thenceforth their HBJ cures were lightened, ' ' Hffl y r. Their -first successful trip was ' HH 5 through Connecticut; in seven days MM I their gross receipts exceeded, .3,900 HH 3 dollars.. In Newark one. hotelkeeper, HH fat whose, house rooms had-been. Ob- HH tain.ed in advance, turned them liter- HH , raly out of tlioir beds when hfc , HH . discovered they were negroes out HH niggers. This indignity bore good HH 1 fruit, ThoCity Council to, mark the HBj sense of- the wrong, ..passedau ordiu* HH 2 ance opening to the colored, people all HH . the privileges of the public schools,.. HH 8 A second -campaign begari witk HH ' another cruel insult', whioh .again was n| 0 turned to the advantage of the Jubilees SB At Frincetown a Church had baon .- Wa 0 tendered for their concert; the colored HH people who "had bought reserve seat HH 0 tickets were compelled to occupy an EH d out-of-the-way comer. Such an indig-. HI lenity. offered rathe House of God, pro- HJ6 is voked a hot rebuke from their manager HR a who was ato.utly hissed for bia speooh. mm 16 The, second campaign'also: prodded' BH ie ,10,000 dollars-profit. •.-'•' -'• H| 16 The third campaign ww/'a;visit, to H| h friend,, and the it' concert were; sent in'hts ;Ba|ai& 'o\a - HS ]• success oi their'elnging; wls'vcaiupieto, , ' Wtt£ t- and the singers had the I HH 3, throughout •-, n the Dub and Duchess BH

Dean .Stanley,'• Mr'-Bamubl-Gulaiiy,;,!: jggj the Kev Newman Hsll; ffi ■ .Macdonald H .at 'whose house |they fe»^t|t»"' H Prince of Wales, the Grand Czareotii, BH and many royal and noble personages : ijjfljj t attended jtheir concerts.'. Mr Spur* ■! ! .™| ; geo'n, too, helped them, muoh, and S| ( . was himself most,deeply impressed H j with their music. From London they' 8S ! went to Scotland, singing in connec- SB . tiou with Messrs Moody and Sankeyik' H > tho North of England, and, besides, mt i large audiences, at many places, thejr H : received valuable gifts. - ( Mr John mB t Crossley, after tHehr at S . Halifax, promised a supply-if carpets/; Hj r am l many gave £lO to furnish *"• Ws, p room in tho Jubilee' Hall. Four 1 } H j concerts in Manchester produced'' H | £1209. Thi-ir journey to JJritain H j resulted in £IO,OOO being raised, for H . Jubilee ' Hall, ■ and many gifts of ■ 9 {apparatus, books, and money for',. H j special purposes, Hj In. May, 1875, a second Engliab cam- ' Hi

paign was planned. The-Jubilee Hall 'Hj was too small, and .the Livingstone-!:, Hj Missionary Hall .waH.deeuicd necessary!.";'' * H The singers determined 1 to ram beyond H their ordinary earning*—which .were H needed for existing' demands"of the : ■ school—the sum _of £IO,OOO for its H erection, in their first year more than ma a third of the sum was raised,- eicclu* '"' B sive of the usual concert work:'' Through H the influence of Mr G. P. Ittman', (I ' I Rotterdam, who heard the Jubilee H| Singers in London, a trip to the Con« '! K tinent was plannned, and the Grand \ H Cathedrals ot the Netherlands wery. '•', H thrdngod to hear the plaintive melodies ' H sunjt by those who had beett slaves 18 . ] H America; 10,000 dollars H thac trip. In Ootober,. 1877, tboyn B pushed on to Germany, aad bad »■?am H welcome.. In Berlin the Crown Pi^oe ( .^:S and Princess •mnfed-'the#?tb';' : thin>- . H tho P . The. Bjit^gß, ".-.Ktbkot ..;'tbe;, r «iopJes r'-i- H character.''TSe great charm'seems't«»v. -■:>.|B

Ijeiri tlm forms of_ mteVprsr'" ;i,;.-..-,, S tation; and ihrcb'angmg moods, Jhe•■■>,. >fi 'perfect.intonation, and thVligltf and.''.'■>!■ shade with. ji\&t'ssMvsi. tbel? '..,'•' fi singing, In a' preface to'.tlib,ausio, • ■;H the unique origin, and'sbaepf'thß .'fl charapteristfci ■:_ i .-^;. : . Though they .'are ;.. B B stored infafytjs&tyth* me'etjisg'.ia . ;; - : ;*.-.;■ church or <ai»p,' theire are [ y]M crudities ■which shock thk ..sua|i»»n! Vi' ■s■ Their rhythm is.al ways'good] th.ongh ; •'-.-'jd J| at jtimes «f« :tin'otly "or triploiime is.rarely; than halfv the, ; national Scottish, music; in the ; :ftoi 4 'i l that .in the-scale';.tKrS^^W^S!■ seventh .tones are 'pitted j/an?Vas : wany ra>,insii t|e '§mk to ,b,ecn ;Jbotigbiftf -itildenij^iay; w4^'!s>;'|f fl #J»H' M"'-;■. \"ph:- :'M